Improvement in sleeping-cars



ZSheets-Sheet.

R. H. BENNETT.

N. PETERS, FNOTO-LITHUGRPHER, WASHINGTONy D. C.

Z Sheets-Sheet 2. R. n. BENNETT.'

SLEEPINGfCA., .No.l'19,991. Patented July 18,1376.

N,PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRFHER, WSNINGTON. D C.

NITED STATES RUSSELL H. BENNETT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEPING-CARS.

Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 179,991, dated July 18, 1876; application'led November 23, 1875.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUSSELL H. BENNETT,

lof Detroit, in the county ot' Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented an Improvement in Sleeping-Gars, of which the following is a specitication:

My invention has for its object to so construct the sittings of an ordinary railway passenger-coach that the seats and backs of two adjacent sittings may be converted into a double lower and a double upper berth, respectively, and without interfering in any way with the'reversibility of the seat-backs, as more fully hereinafter set forth' and claimed.

Figure l, Sheet l,A is a perspective view of a section of a coach, showing the seats and backs of two sittings converted into an upper and a lower' berth. Fig. 2 is a similar View, showing one sitting in its ordinary or day arrangement, and the adjacent one converted .into one-halt'o't' two berths. Fig. 3, Sheet 2,

is a longitudinal Vertical section atm@ in Fig. 2. Fig. et is a sectional end elevation ot' the two sittings arranged for day use. Fig. 5 is a. perspective View of the pivot on the seatarm for the back-arm to.swing on. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the swinging support under the corner of each stationary seat. Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of the support for the upper-berth sections (the seatbacks) on the wall of the car. t

In the drawing, A represents a portion of the floor, B the sill, and G the side ot' a passenger-coach. D D are the outer and inner seat-stainlards, respectively, supporting the outer ends and inner ends of an upholstered seat, E, on which is laid another upholstered seat, E', pivoted thereto at each end by a link, a, in such a manner that said sea-t E can be swung over between the seat E and the next stationary seat E, to till the space between them. The seat E in this position is supportedat the outer end by a bracket, b,

' pivoted under the outer corner of the stationary seat, while its inner end rests on thesill B. The links may be pivoted in slots cut inthe seats,l near their ends, as shown, or. they may be pivoted at their extremities, as desired.

F is the back proper of each seat. -A radial arm, G, pivots it to the center ofthe arm of each standardin .the following manner: The outer end of said arm G is forked and secured to the end ofthe seat-back. The inner end is slotted, asat d, and slides on a pivot, c, at the center of the seatarm, below which is a socket, e, to receive the end of the arm G when raised to a vertical position, and to sustain it in that position. An upholstered false back, F, by means of the hinges ff, is pivoted at its upper edge to the face of the back proper, und forms the back-support for the occupants ot' the seat in the day-time.

Before swinging up the backs to form onehalt' of an upper berth the back F is opened up, and a socket, g, on its inner end, is re.- ceived by a hook, It, on the wall of the car.

The outer end may be supported by a brace,

j, arranged to fold between the backs when closed, but when the backs are swung upits lower end is supported by a shouivler, t, formed on the arm of the snbjacent outer scat-standard. This brace may, however, be omitted, and the outer end of said back-section F be supported by a long mortise-bolt entering a' socket in the end of the section F. v

Any two adjoining seats can thus be converted into an upper and a lower berth, ready for nseby placing on the pillows and bed` i clothing, which can be stowed in day-time in boxes under the stationary seats, or in a closet in the car.

Ifthe seatsy and backs be properly upholstered no mattresses will be required, and all theV berths can be converted into seats in a few moments, the car differing in no material way from an ordinaryday-coach having reversible seat-backs.

What I claim as myinvention isl. In a railway passenger-car, the combination of the standards D D with the stationary upholstered seat E, the upholstered seat E', hinged to the said stationary seat, the upholstered back F, connected by the slotted arms G to the standards, the upholstered back F', hinged to said back F, and the slotted arms G, all forming a car-seat adapted to be changed into sleepingberths, subtantially as described and shown.

2. The combination, with the seat-standt ards and slotted arms. G, of the pivot c and socket e below such pivot, constrncted'and arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth. 1 y RUSSELL H. BENNETT.

Witnesses:

H. F. EBERTS, H. S. SPRAGUE. 

